I’m not a huge fan of “X Reasons” blog posts, but it seems appropriate in this case. I stumbled on JukePop by way of Black Hill Press and the Summer Writing Project, and published my story “Will Kill for Food” chapter by chapter. Until then, I had only shared my works in progress with a few people, and strictly on a For Your Eyes Only basis. Publishing with JukePop has been a huge boost to my ability to see, and to present, myself as a writer. It’s a tremendous resource for any new writer looking to take that giant first step into publishing.
So, the reasons . . .
Reason 1: Get Naked
Publishing a story and asking people you know to read it is a little bit like going up to their door stark naked, knocking, and asking them what they think. It’s one thing to leak chapters to people whose opinion (and tact) you trust. It’s another to post it online, ask friends, family, and others who might be less understanding, and likely more judgmental, about what you’re spending your time on to read and comment. It’s a lot scarier.
At some point you have to make that leap. JukePop offers new writers that opportunity. People read, comment, vote (or don’t vote). And in my case, many wrote directly to me (rather than post their comments on the site) their thoughts and support.
Reson 2: Get Connected
JukePop is all about interaction. The front page of the site is a feed of comments on stories. Everything about the site encourages readers to vote and comment.
The writers on the site are an active group. Within days of posting my first chapter, writers of other serials on the site welcomed me to the site and commented on my work. In turn, I read parts of their stories, even though most were from genres that don’t really interest me. I also started interacting with these same authors on Twitter.
That is not to say that JukePop will boost your Twitter numbers. Rather, it increases your chances of developing higher quality connections in Twitter and elsewhere.
Reason 3: Get Feedback
JukePop is also all about metrics. Not only how many people are reading your story, but more importantly, how 
many read through to the end of each chapter. You get demographics (gender, age, location), view and vote trends, average reading times per chapter. You can view the data for each chapter to see how your readers responded. Really a wealth of information to inform you about the habits of your readership. The author interface allows writers to edit their stories, so you can respond to comments by editing your story and asking for more comments on your revisions.
Reason 4: Get into Libraries
JukePop is working with public libraries to supply quality, self-published stories. If your story meets the criteria, it could be selected and become available at one of the participating libraries. How cool is that?
Reason 5: Get Money
JukePop offers a couple of ways for authors to earn money. Authors can add a “Support the Author” button to their chapters, or can offer some chapters for free and require a fee to unlock others. Also, JukePop pays authors who are in the top 30 vote-getting stories each month.None of this is enough to quit your day job. But as any writer knows, every little bit of support helps.
There are other reasons to publish with JukePop, of course. These, to me, are the highlights. Oh, with one addition. My interactions with the editor have all been great. Welcoming, professional, responsive. This isn’t a big machine. It’s justpeople, like the rest of us, who enjoy good writing and want to do more to get it out there for people to read.
